When writer Harper Lee was 5 years old, he once heard about a ** case that shocked the world.
Nine blacks were charged with two white women.
During the trial, there were many indications that the two white women were lying.
But after lengthy interrogations, four of the nine suspects were sentenced to long prison terms.
The verdict sparked strong dissatisfaction among countless upright lawyers and citizens, who believed that the verdict was the result of typical racial prejudice.
Years later, a book calledTo Kill a MockingbirdThe ** turned out.
This is exactly what Harper Lee created based on the sensational ** case of his childhood.
*Upon its publication, it was translated into more than 40 languages, sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, and won the Pulitzer Prize that year.
The book tells the story of Atticus, a white lawyer, who defends the framed black Tom with his own courage against the background of almost universal discrimination against blacks in his hometown town.
The ending of the story is infinitely embarrassing, but the integrity, kindness and bravery shown by Atticus have greatly shocked his children's hearts and made countless readers can't help but respect him.
Atticus uses his firmness and persistence of "knowing that he can't do it" to tell every ordinary person with a good heart the most simple truth:
The top level of adult education is to "dispel the demons of prejudice and break the prejudices in the heart." ”
Maycomb is a conservative and closed town in the United States.
There is a "black and white" tradition in the town: blacks are always inferior "second-class citizens."
On an ordinary day, a sudden exciting news came from the town:
Ewell, a white man, accuses Tom of the black man ** his own daughter Mayella!
Mayella tearfully complained in court, and Tom, when he was defenseless, grabbed her by the neck and violently beat her, and finally violently ** her.
Mayella's father, Ewell, also insisted that he saw Tom's daughter with his own eyes.
All the details seem to be irrefutable.
But Tom's defense lawyer, Atticus, raised three major doubts in the layers of questioning:
1. Ewell has 5-6 children in the family, why is there not a single child in the family on the day that Mayela was **?
2. Mayella decided that her right eye was bruised by Tom, and hit her right eye head-on, which is usually convenient with her left hand, but Tom's left hand was crippled since he was a child and did not have the ability to strike at all.
3. The one who is really good at using his left hand is none other than Mayella's father, Ewell.
Under Atticus's step-by-step questioning, the truth of the whole incident gradually emerged:
Ewell's family lived in poverty, with little to no external human interaction.
There are 5-6 children in the family, and the adult Mayella is the eldest, so she takes care of all the household chores as a matter of course.
Not only that, but Ewell, who was a heavy drinker, often scolded Mayela after drinking.
In such a bad family, Mayela lived an unusually lonely and depressed life.
And every time Tom was working, he would pass by her door, and after getting acquainted, Mayella would often call Tom to help her with a little favor.
The humility engraved in his bones makes Tom have great respect for the white Mayella, and Mayella's situation also makes Tom extremely sympathetic, which undoubtedly gives the lonely and depressed Mayella the warmest emotional value.
Mayella gradually develops a crush on Tom, and one day she separates her younger siblings, seduces Tom into the house, and kisses him unexpectedly.
Unexpectedly, this scene happened to be seen by Ewell, who was going home, and his daughter actually went to kiss a, which was worth it!
In the midst of the panic, Tom rushed out of the house.
Enraged, Ewell burst into the house, insulting and punching Mayella.
After venting, Ewell knew that it would be a shame for the family to spread the news.
Then simply accuse Tom**, and it is better to put him to death, so that it can be done.
The case has been sorted out here, and everything seems to be revealed.
But strangely, several white people on the jury still unanimously concluded that Tom was "guilty", and Tom was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
And their reason is simply that Tom has been imprisoned for fighting and brawls before and has a "criminal" record.
And it's very normal for a black man to think differently about a white woman, so it's not surprising.
This kind of absurd verdict simply uses the essence of "if you want to add a crime, there is no excuse".
The so-called truth in the mouths of these whites is nothing more than the favorable outcome they themselves want.
And the real truth is that if there is a conflict between whites and blacks, it will always be blacks who are questioned, criticized, bullied, and oppressed.
Beneath the pale "cloak of truth" lies a naked, extreme racial prejudice.
When we sigh at Tom's unfair experience, we may not realize that in fact, in life, there are many truths that are covered up by prejudice.
For example, an obese person is often ridiculed for being greedy and lazy, but the truth is that he is likely to suffer from some kind of disease and is fattened by hormone drugs.
For example, a young man with bright hair color and jumping out is often ridiculed as a "street slicker", but the truth may be that he is a Tony teacher himself, so his style should be fashion-ed.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, there is also another person who has been deeply hurt by prejudice"Weirdo" Radley.
How weird is this "weirdo"?
Legend has it that he liked to eat small animals raw;All the petty thefts in the town are related to him;
He also went out at night, and only went out on dark and windy nights.
This made the lawyer Atticus's family and several children in the neighborhood both curious and frightened of him.
They went to climb the yard of Radley's house and "stormed" the gates of his house, and they wanted to see the true face of this strange man.
Unexpectedly, the more they explored the back, the more they discovered that Radley was not only not "weird", but also simple and kind by nature.
He would often secretly put some candy and small toys in the hollow of the tree outside the door and give them to the children who were playing outside the door.
He will also quietly put a warm blanket on the children who are tired of playing and sleeping outside the door......
On top of that, he saved two of Atticus's children.
Although Ewell won the case in court, he held a grudge against Atticus for exposing his lies in court.
He has a knife in hand and waits for Atticus' two children on the way out of school, ready to ** them to take revenge on Atticus.
At the critical moment, Radley stepped forward to rescue the two children, but unexpectedly killed Ewell.
But this time, the judge protected the kind and brave Radley, and he sentenced Ewell to die from his own knife.
And it was only then that everyone found out that the reason why Radley went out day and night was actually because many years ago, he stabbed his father with scissors because of nervousness and misunderstanding.
At that time, the police suggested that Radley be sent to a psychiatric hospital, but Radley's father strongly disagreed.
He promised the police that he could take good care of his son and that he would not cause harm to anyone.
Since then, Radley has been locked up at home, day and night, and this level is 25 years.
It was only then that Atticus's two children realized that their previous prejudices and misunderstandings about Radley were so deep.
Those terrifying scenes that once spread are just rumors that many people have imagined and then spread by mouth.
The two children also deeply understood that the world is not only black and white.
A person's life turns out to have many sides and countless possibilities.
Just as their father Atticus told them:
You can never fully empathize with another person unless you get into his **, put on his shoes, and walk the path he walks.Yes, we often think that what we see is the truth of this world.
But we don't know the truth of what we think we are, maybe it's just a personal interpretation of the event within the scope of our own cognition.
This so-called truth is most likely just the tip of the iceberg, and it is just a prejudice under your personal vision.
Therefore, not easily criticizing and blaming when encountering things is often the embodiment of an adult's true maturity.
Without others, don't talk about others.
Don't let your tongue become a weapon to hurt people, and don't forget to use your brain to judge other people's lives.
When Atticus decides to defend Tom, his family is in an awkward position.
His children would often be chased and scolded at school: "Your father is so ashamed to defend a!".”
The neighbor, Mrs. Dubose, was even more bitter
Your father defended a black scumbag, and he's not a good guy either!”
Even Atticus's sister thinks that what he did was discrediting the entire family.
The two children were puzzled and asked their father why he was willing to risk the world's condemnation to do such a thankless task.
They don't know that in the context of everyone in the town discriminating against blacks, if no one defends Tom, he will most likely be executed.
"A robin is kind and harmless, he just likes to sing, so killing a robin is a sin, and I will do everything I can to stop it. ”Atticus replied with a firm look in his eyes.
In fact, as soon as he took over the lawsuit, he had already guessed the ending.
Because he knows better than anyone that the prejudices inherent in the hearts of these people in the town are really like mountains, which are difficult to shake no matter what.
But framing is framing, prejudice is prejudice, facts are facts, and lies are lies.
Even if your chances of winning are slim, even if you are misunderstood and attacked by everyone, you must let the truth be revealed to the world.
For the most simple fairness and justice in my heart, in order to let my children distinguish between good and evil, beautiful and ugly, and more importantly, to let the people in power who handle the case clearly see the real truth.
Although Atticus eventually lost the case, he was greeted with a grand applause from the black crowd, and the neighbors who had attacked him began to quietly put fresh fruits and vegetables on his doorstep.
He lost a lawsuit, but won the hearts of countless people.
* Isn't Atticus like a lot of people in life, always love to be more serious "thorns"?
They persistently stick to their inner conscience and bottom line, dare to speak out, expose ugliness, and confront authority.
Many people have also ridiculed them for not being able to measure their own strength, and their mantis arms are used as cars.
But I don't know that a spark can also start a prairie fire.
It is these faint cries that little by little disintegrate the public's numbness to the commonplace unfairness.
It is this kind of sticky drink that shakes the huge prejudice deep-rooted in people's hearts again and again.
It is these seemingly "stupid" people who are alerting to inherent cognitions, breaking narrow concepts, and even pushing for huge social changes.
If it is said that daring to break the inherent prejudices in one's heart is the top upbringing of an adult, then daring to lead others to break the prejudice rooted in their hearts is the biggest pattern of an adult.
Sanmao once said: "Your various annotations and interpretations of me can't constitute one-ten-thousandth of me, but you are at a glance." ”
Indeed, all of a person's cognition and pattern are often hidden in what he thinks is the truth.
When we are Xi only standing on our own vision and judging a single and crude thing or person, we often find that what we think is the truth is actually far from the real truth.
Therefore, "I don't know the whole picture, I don't comment" should become a self-alert engraved in every adult's bones.
Therefore, the world needs more "shouters" like Atticus, who dare to expose lies and break prejudices.
The more this is the case, the more narrow-minded, radical, and strife in this world will be diminished.
Only in this way can this world be warmer and more pure, and can it truly be "worth it".